Belleville man accused of sexually assaulting Morris Township girl

MORRIS TOWNSHIP -- An Essex County man has been charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old Morris County girl he met in an online kids' chat room, after police found him alone with her in his SUV outside a local school last week at 1 a.m., according to court documents.

Viktor Zhadanov, 26, of Belleville, was in the driver's seat "adjusting his sweat pants" and the Morris Township girl was his front-seat passenger when a Morris Township police officer conducted a motor-vehicle stop Friday at 1 a.m. outside the Frelinghuysen Middle School, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed today in Superior Court in Morristown.

Google MapsThe location of The Frelinghuysen Middle School, where Victor Zhadanov was arrested Friday on charges of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. Authorities say Zhadanov assaulted the teen on at least two occasions.

After the teen's mother was contacted and came to the scene, the girl said she had previously met Zhadanov on another occasion when she also performed a sex act on him, the affidavit states.

When interviewed by police, the girl said she met Zhadanov in a kids' online chat room, according to the affidavit. With the username of 'Slave,' he claimed he was 15 years old and from Newark, and the girl told him she was 13 years old, the affidavit states.

The girl also claimed she communicated with him via instant messaging on a cell phone, the documents state.

Zhadanov came to Morris Township to meet with the girl at least twice before Friday's arrest -- July 6, and in the late hours of July 7 into the early morning of July 8, according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, Zhadanov and the girl first met on July 6 when the two went into a field nearby the teen's home, where the sexual assault occurred.

The next night, Zhadanov picked the girl up from her home and sexually assaulted her in his car after driving to a Morris Township parking lot, the affidavit states.

Zhadanov told police he drove from his home to meet the girl on a few occasions, according to court records.

"However, he denied knowing her age or that he engaged in any sexual activity with her," the affidavit states.

Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi credited the "good old-fashioned police work" of Morris Township patrolman Bruce Starnes for the arrest. He also said the case underscores the need for parents to be aware of the potential dangers of children communicating with strangers via the internet.

"Parents have to be very vigilant because these predators are trolling for their children," Bianchi said.

Zhadanov was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault and of two counts of third-degree child endangerment.

He is being held in the Morris County jail in lieu of $200,000 bail. He also was ordered to surrender his passport and must not have any contact with children under the age of 16.